KNOTS AND KNACKS 117 



As a note of warning I counsel you to test every knot 

 which you tie before bringing it into use. A steady and 

 sustained pull for a minute or so is generally enough to 

 disclose any defect. 



Some anglers are exceptionally deft with their hands, 

 and can construct all kinds of fishing utilities. Here is, 

 however, a gadget which every sea-troutman, without 

 any special skill, can fashion, and it is one which, 

 while offering a monetary benefit, will lead, I think, 

 to better catches. I refer to a core for carrying a metal 

 minnow. 



I will endeavour to smooth the way by detailing and 

 explaining the process. The materials required are 

 treble hooks, swivels and single steel rust-proofed wire. 

 The only tools needed are supple fingers. 



The size of the treble should be number two, Redditch 

 scale, and, as we shall dispense with beads, the eye must 

 be round and fairly large so as to prevent the minnow 

 slipping into the bend of the hooks. Further, the round 

 eye enables the minnow to spin easily. The swivels 

 should be rust-proof best steel, box pattern and should 

 be half an inch in length. I find that fine gauge wire, 

 with an approximate breaking strain of twenty-five 

 pounds, answers admirably. 



Now take a piece of the wire about a foot in length, and 

 double it. Thread the ends through the eye of the treble, 

 but in so doing, pass one end over and through the eye, 

 and pass the other end under and through the eye. Pull 

 the ends until the looped end is near the treble. Now 

 give the looped end one complete turn. Let the looped 

 end pass over one hook in the treble. Next pull the ends 

 until the looped end is tightly fixed between the hooks 

 and hard against the shank. 



Thread the ends through the eye of a swivel, passing 

 one end over and through the eye and the other end 



